The Soo Locks (sometimes spelled Sault Locks but pronounced "soo") are a set of parallel locks, operated and maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, that enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. They bypass the rapids of the river, where the water falls 21 ft (6.4 m). The locks pass an average of 10,000 ships per year,[4] despite being closed during the winter from January through March, when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes. The winter closure period is used to inspect and maintain the locks.
The locks share a name (usually shortened and anglicized as Soo) with the two cities named Sault Ste. Marie, in Ontario and in Michigan, located on either side of the St. Marys River. The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge between the United States and Canada permits vehicular traffic to pass over the locks. A railroad bridge crosses the St. Marys River just upstream of the highway bridge.
The first locks were opened in 1855. Along with the Erie Canal, constructed in 1824 in central New York State, they were among the great infrastructure engineering projects of the antebellum United States. The Soo Locks were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.[5]
^"National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^State Historic Preservation Office (2009). "Saint Mary's Falls Canal". Historic Sites Online. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
^"St. Marys Falls Canal". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
^Detroit District. "Facts". United States Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
^"NHL nomination for St. Marys Falls Canal". National Park Service. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
The SooLocks (sometimes spelled Sault Locks but pronounced "soo") are a set of parallel locks, operated and maintained by the United States Army Corps...
(between Lake Huron and Lake Erie), and entertaining spectators at the SooLocks (between Lakes Superior and Huron) with a running commentary about the...
government for funding to build a canal. In 1855, the Michigan State Locks (now SooLocks) opened, allowing vessels to keep up with demands for iron ore from...
engineering works are the Welland Canal between Lakes Ontario and Erie, and the SooLocks between Huron and Superior. Dredged channels were constructed in the St...
heavily used by shipping traffic northbound from and southbound to the SooLocks. The Whitefish Point Light marks the entry of the bay, Ile Parisienne...
Soo" SooLocks, the locks between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes Soo Township, Michigan, United States Soo, Kagoshima, a city in Japan Soo District...
Superior empties into Lake Huron via the St. Marys River and the SooLocks (Sault Ste. Marie locks). Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world...
Gold Rush, especially after shipping was improved by the opening of the SooLocks in 1855 and docks in Marquette in 1859. The Upper Peninsula supplied 90%...
of 77,500 Net tons of Iron Ore which is the record tonnage through the SooLocks. In May 1984, Indiana Harbor was the largest ship to ever enter the harbor...
incident. The Bannockburn was reported overdue the following morning at the SooLocks, but given the weather the previous night, this was not considered unusual...
Mesabi Miner transits the SooLocks in 2011 History Name MV Mesabi Miner Owner Interlake Steamship Company Operator Interlake Steamship Company Port of...
Peninsula and enter Lake Michigan. Optional side-trip is going through the SooLocks and visiting Lake Superior.[citation needed] Loopers have the option to...
Lake-effect snow List of storms on the Great Lakes Munising, Michigan SooLocks Vermilion Point Whitefish Bay Whitefish Point Light Station Whitefish...
a Canadian DC-3. It was over the locks by mistake". The "locks" refers to the restricted air space over the SooLocks at Sault Ste. Marie, on the U.S.–Canada...
lakes as well as tourist attractions including the Canada–US border, the SooLocks, Mackinac Island, parks, and museums. North Manistique Lake is located...
battalions were also equipped with M1 guns for the joint defense of the SooLocks. These guns were guided by the long range Lashup Radar Network equipped...
increased, far outstripping the local production capacity. In 1855, the SooLocks opened, and the volume of ore shipped increased, with a total of 1447...
Global Information
